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Month: September 2012

Controversial GM potato trial to yield results in weeks

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A controversial study into the environmental impact of genetically modified (GM) potatoes in Oak Park, Co Carlow, is expected to start showing results within weeks.

Almost two weeks ago, the agricultural development body Teagasc planted 24 GM potato plants that have improved resistance to late potato blight alongside conventional potato plants.

Dr Ewen Mullins, Teagasc’s senior research officer at Oak Park, said blight had already started to show in a drill of non-GM potatoes, specifically planted because they were vulnerable to blight. He is watching to see if this spreads to the drills containing the GM and non-GM plants. “If that blight takes hold, we’ll have an idea of what’s happening with our GM line within a week.” The study is looking at the impact of the GM potatoes on the soil, particularly on its bacterial, fungal and earthworm diversity.

View the original article here: Controversial GM potato trial to yield results in weeks

Stem cell supplement approved in Taiwan

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RBC Life Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: RBCL) announced today that the Company’s stem cell supplement, Stem-Kine™, has been approved for importation and sale in Taiwan. Stem-Kine is marketed in Taiwan under the name SK Plus.

“Stem cells are early stage cells, formed primarily in bone marrow that can develop into any type of cell — heart, brain, or other tissues. Stem cells circulate with the blood, congregating in diseased or damaged tissues, where they replace the injured cells with healthy new cells. 

“Stem cells form the body’s internal repair and rejuvenation system. Physicians consistently report that a greater number of the body’s own adult stem cells results in more effective repair.

View the original article here: Stem Cell Supplement Approved In Taiwan – Sacramento Bee

Futurist envisions aquaculture and GMOs to feed the planet

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It’s been said that, when it comes to the future of food, thought falls along one of two paths. There’s the Malthusian-influenced idea that, as population outstrips resources, we’re about to hit hard times, or the thinking that future technologies will be so advanced we’ll have revolutionary forms of super food, like full meals in the form of a nice, compact, calorie-free blue pill.

It all comes down to whether you have a stake in progress or declension. Neither is probably really right in any case and, either way, it’s a hell of a gamble predicting the future, be it utopia or hell in a handcart. But Josh Schonwald, New York Times, Salon and Washington Post contributor, was brave enough to try — with pretty great results — in The Taste of Tomorrow: Dispatches from the Future of Food.

View the original article here: Futurist envisions aquaculture and GMOs to feed the planet

Medical ethicist examines ‘how to build a better human’

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Science moves fast these days, and remarkable tools for human enhancement seem to emerge frenetically. Society often questions the way these tools should be wielded or whether they should be used at all.

UAB philosophy Professor Gregory Pence, Ph.D., examines these issues in his latest book, How to Build a Better Human: An Ethical Blueprint, released Aug. 16. In the book, Pence writes about improving the human stock from two directions — eliminating dysfunction caused by bad genes and trauma and allowing adults voluntarily to improve themselves. To do this, Pence says, the “underground” research being performed on steroids, mind-expanding drugs, doping and cosmetic dermatology must be studied in the open, scientifically. Pence uses science, logic and ethics to analyze these controversial and ethical issues, as he did in previous works, including Medical Ethics, Elements of Bioethics, Who’s Afraid of Human Cloning? and Cloning After Dolly.

View the original article here: Medical ethicist examines How to Build a Better Human – UAB News

DNA test to guarantee Irish pigmeat

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A NOVEL paternity test for pigs has been introduced to determine if meat sold as Irish actually comes from Irish pigs.

The Irish Farmers’ Association and Bord Bia have set up the DNA-certified programme to expose misleading labelling. Packaging on items such as rashers or bacon often suggest the meat comes from an Irish farm when in fact it has been imported.

The three-year project involved profiling thousands of boar samples and setting up a database with the DNA of every Irish boar serving sows in the State. Bord Bia personnel will now take random samples of pigmeat from supermarkets, butchers and the food service industry to see if the samples match the database.

View the original article here: DNA test to guarantee Irish pigmeat – Irish Times

Human genome far more active than thought

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The GENCODE Consortium expects the human genome has twice as many genes than previously thought, many of which might have a role in cellular control and could be important in human disease. This remarkable discovery comes from the GENCODE Consortium, which has done a painstaking and skilled review of available data on gene activity. Among their discoveries, the team describe more than 10,000 novel genes, identify genes that have ‘died’ and others that are being resurrected. The GENCODE Consortium reference gene catalogue has been one of the underpinnings of the larger ENCODE Project and will be essential for the full understanding of the role of our genes in disease.

View the original article here: Human genome far more active than thought

New approach for efficient analysis of emerging genetic data

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With the ability to sequence human genes comes an onslaught of raw material about the genetic characteristics that distinguish us, and wading through these reserves of data poses a major challenge for life scientists. Researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and the Center for Human Genome Variation at Duke University Medical Center (DUMC) have developed an approach for analyzing data that can help researchers studying genetic factors in disease to quickly cull out relevant genetic patterns and identify variants that lead to particular disorders.

View the original article here: New approach for efficient analysis of emerging genetic data

Unraveling the human genome: 6 molecular milestones

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In a milestone for the understanding of human genetics, scientists just announced the results of five years of work in unraveling the secrets of how the genome operates. The ENCODE project, as it is known, dispensed with the idea that our DNA is largely “junk,” repeating sequences with no function, finding instead that at least 80 percent of the genome is important.

The new findings are the latest in a series of increasingly deep looks at the human genome. Here are some of the major milestones scientists have passed along the way.

View the original article here: Unraveling the human genome: 6 molecular milestones

Zambia: State refutes GMO importation claim

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Government says reports that the country is being fed by Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) is mere speculation.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Rodgers Mwewa says there is no proof that the country is allowing traders to import or farmers to grow such foods.

“People saying we are allowing GMO’s have no proof to that, there is so much speculation going on and we can not act on speculations, on things we have not seen,” he said.

View the original article here: Zambia: State refutes GMO importation claim

Is bug resistant GM corn losing its effectiveness?

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There’s “mounting evidence” that Monsanto Co. (MON) corn that’s genetically modified to control insects is losing its effectiveness in the Midwest, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said.

The EPA commented in response to questions about a scientific study last month that found western corn rootworms on two Illinois farms had developed resistance to insecticide produced by Monsanto’s corn. Rootworms affect corn’s ability to draw water and nutrients from the soil and were responsible for about $1 billion a year in damages and pesticide bills until seeds with built-in insecticide were developed a decade ago.

View the original article here: Is bug resistant GM corn losing its effectiveness?

‘Gene switches’ in ‘junk DNA’ control human health

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The human genome is packed with at least four million gene switches that reside in bits of DNA that once were dismissed as “junk” but that turn out to play critical roles in controlling how cells, organs and other tissues behave. The discovery, considered a major medical and scientific breakthrough, has enormous implications for human health because many complex diseases appear to be caused by tiny changes in hundreds of gene switches.

View the original article here: ‘Gene switches’ in ‘junk DNA’ control human health

Public sparring between Prop 37 supporters, opponents begins

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As predicted by supporters late last month, opponents of Propostion 37, which would mandate the disclosure of whether genetically modified crops have been used in the production of California food products, have come out swinging.

In a recent press release, opponents of the measure predicted food prices for the typical California family would rise $350-400 per year as a result of the proposition, “while providing absolutely no benefits” to consumers.

In calculating their figures, the No crowd cites a study performed by Northbridge Environmental Management Consultants, which assumes the most likely step taken by food manufacturers and distributors if Prop 37 were to pass would be to move away from using genetically engineered ingredients, which opponents say “the majority of packaged food and beverage products contain.”

View the original article here: Public sparring between Prop 37 supporters, opponents begins – San Diego Reader (blog)

Paraguay bets on genetically modified soy and corn

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Paraguay will approve Monsanto’s genetically modified Roundup Ready 2 soybean seeds before the end of this year along with new corn technology aimed at improving the country’s competitiveness as a grains exporter, a state official said.

Paraguay collected 4.3 million tonnes of soy in the 2011/12 season, during which yields were reduced by drought. The South American country expects its soy output to jump to 8 million tonnes in the 2012/13 season, thanks in part to the new seeds, according to Agriculture Ministry trade chief Santiago Bertoni.

“Roundup Ready 2 is 90 percent there,” in terms of being approved for sowing in Paraguay, Bertoni said, predicting that the official OK will be granted in time for farmers to use the new technology when this year’s planting starts in October.

View the original article here: Paraguay bets on genetically modified soy, corn

What does cheap genome sequencing mean for the future of medicine?

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The human genome has been heralded as the key to personalized medicine, but for the longest time complete sequencing of human genomes has been too expensive for everyday clinical use.

This led researchers on a search for cheaper ways to sequence DNA — with the goal of finding a way to sequence an entire human genome for under $1,000. Multiple companies have been striving toward this goal.

Some of these groups think the way to the $1,000 genome is through nanopores. These structures are tiny protein-based holes — built into a membrane — that the DNA strand is threaded through. Moving one letter of the genome at a time, the electrical conductivity of the DNA is read. Because each base of the DNA has a different size and shape, which changes the conductivity of the pore, this enables a sensor on the other side of the membrane to read the changes and identify the DNA sequence.

View the original article here: What Cheap Genome Sequencing Means For The Future Of Medicine – Business Insider

Gene therapy restores sense of smell in mice, may aid research into other diseases

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Scientists have restored the sense of smell in mice through gene therapy for the first time—a hopeful sign for people who can’t smell anything from birth or lose it due to disease.

The achievement in curing congenital anosmia—the medical term for lifelong inability to detect odors—may also aid research on other conditions that also stem from problems with the cilia. Those tiny hair-shaped structures on the surfaces of cells throughout the body are involved in many diseases, from the kidneys to the eyes. The new findings, published online in Nature Medicine, come from a team at the University of Michigan Medical School and their colleagues at several other institutions.

View the original article here: Gene therapy restores sense of smell, may aid research into other diseases … – Medical Xpress

Plant biotechnologists “time travel” with their use of chemicals

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In the last few months there have been two examples where we have seen brand new biotech crops that are tolerant to relatively old herbicides. It feels a little bit like time travel.  Dow AgroSciences is developing 2,4-D tolerance trait for corn.  That is an herbicide which was first released in 1946.  Monsanto is developing a dicamba tolerance trait. That herbicide was first commercialized in 1967. Both have recently moved to the USDA comment period stage for their regulatory status.

Ok, going back 46 or 67 years isn’t as exciting as traveling through space and time in, say, Dr. Who’s Tardis (above), but it is an interesting phenomenon for agriculture.

As a 57-year old, I’m gratified that technologies of my general vintage are still relevant for agriculture.  But what is the deal?  Why are we talking about such old products?  What does this tell us about biotechnology, chemistry, and science in general?  I’d say several things:

  • Plant biologists are practical realists who anticipated resistance issues
  • A more diverse weed control “Toolbox” is always a good thing
  • Some old chemistry is actually very good chemistry
  • Its hard to find good, new herbicides

View the original article here: Plant Biotechnology As Time Travel? – Science 2.0

Newborn screening can help prevent problems

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Newborn babies are screened, even if they look healthy, because some medical conditions cannot be seen by just looking at the baby. Finding these conditions soon after birth can help prevent some serious problems, such as brain damage, organ damage, and even death.

View the original article here: Newborn screening can help prevent problems

Organic myth: No evidence that expensive ‘natural’ foods are healthier or better for the environment

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There is remarkably little difference in nutritional value or risk for bacterial contamination between more expensive organic and conventional foods made using fertilizers, pesticides or genetically modified organisms, according to a new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine. “Some believe that organic food is always healthier and more nutritious,” said Stanford School of Medicine research instructor Crystal Smith-Spangler, MD MS, the lead author of a groundbreaking review of hundreds of comparative studies, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. “My colleagues and I were a little surprised that we didn’t find that,” said Smith-Spangler.

The Stanford study reviewed more than 200 studies that compared studies that compared either the health of people who ate organic or conventional foods or, nutrient and contaminant levels in the foods themselves.

This scientific study contradicts much of the information distributed by organic food activists, especially those who are fighting to approve Proposition 37 in California, which would require companies to label any genetically modified foods. One such organization, The Organic Consumers Association, reported that “organics is 25% more nutritious in terms of vitamins and minerals than products derived from industrial agriculture.” The Stanford study does not support this claim.

In the past few years, organic food and beverage sales have jumped to nearly $52 billion worldwide. More and more people are buying these organics, with the belief that they are healthier. Other people buy organic because they believe organic foods are pesticide-free. However, there are over 20 chemicals commonly used in the growing and processing of organic crops that are approved by the US Organic Standards. The actual volume usage of pesticides on organic farms is not recorded by the government. In fact, the top organic pesticides, copper and sulfur, are used at a volume twice as high as their synthetic alternatives designed to do the exact same thing.

Some organic groups are trying to use the Stanford study to their advantage. The Organic Trade Association released a statement which implies that organic foods help reduce consumers’ exposure to pesticides. The actual study said that although organic foods do contain fewer pesticides, the level of pesticides is miniscule for both and is well below any levels considered potentially harmful.